media writing chapter

7/29/2019 Media Writing Chapter

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ObjectivesAfter completing this chapter, the student should be

able to:

Identify and list the criteria for newsworthiness of

a news story.

Identify the components of a good print news

story.

Explain the structure of the inverted pyramid.

List the five Ws and H.

Write a good lead.

Write a news story for print, video, and radio.

Conduct an interview for a news story.

IntroductionKnowing how to write in a news media style is

important because the news media radio andtelevision stations, newspapers, and magazines are

where most people go for information, news stories

have a significant impact on readers, viewers, and

listeners. Knowing how to write a news story well and

sending it to the news media, in the form of a news

release, could mean that your information gets into a

newspaper or on a radio or television newscast.

News writing also calledjournalistic writing is

similar, yet different, than traditional writing that

you have done for most of your life. This chapterprovides an overview of news writing for print,

television, and radio so you can better communicate

news about what is going on in your organization.

What is News?One of the first things you have to determine before

writing a news story is if the story is newsworthy.

Television station news directors and newspaper

editors use the following criteria to determine

newsworthiness what stories they will cover in theirnewscasts and newspapers. Newsworthiness, or news

value, depends on:

Timeliness: This is the first reason when deciding

if facts of story are newsworthy. Timeliness refers

to when something happened or when it will

happen and implies immediacy or nearness to the

present.

Proximity or location: This refers to how close

physically or psychologically the news storys

content is to the audience. The closer the impact

is geographically to the audience, the moreproximity impact it has.

Prominence : Big names make big news. High-

profile people, issues, or concerns have more news

value.

Importance or significance: The greater the

effect and the larger the number of people

impacted by your news story, the more likely it is

that your story is news.

Human interest: News stories that have a strong

appeal to human emotions are more newsworthy.Does the event involve interesting people doing

interesting or unusual things?

Innovative or unusual: If the news story features

something different, unusual, or innovative, it

carries news value.

Conflict: A story that shows struggles a person

versus the environment, a person versus another

person is usually newsworthy.

Money: News stories about financial issues are

almost always newsworthy.

Media Writing

Being able to conduct a proper interview to get informaton

from someone is a good skill to have. News reporters practce to

be able to ask good questons.


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News Writing StyleTo begin this section of the chapter, it may be

good to say what news writing style is not. It is not

providing a chronological account of something that

happened. (This happened, then this happened, then

this happened.) News writing is not stringing together

a long collection of direct quotations, one after the

other. News writing is not starting out with the leastimportant information first and then springing the

news at the very end of the story.

News writing, very simply, is finding out:

Who said it? Who is it about?

What happened?

Where did it happen?

When did it happen?

Why is it important?

How did it happen?

As you answer these questions, you will have to keep

in mind that good news writing for print, television, or

radio stories also follows these general rules:

Good news writing uses short words.

Good news writing uses short sentences.

Good news writing uses short paragraphs.

Good news writing eliminates wordiness.

Good news writing avoids jargon or technical

language.

Good news writing comes to the point quickly.Good news writing uses direct quotes to bring life

to the story.

Writing news stories for print news will be covered

in the following section. Later sections in this chapter

also will include information on how to write news

stories for television/video and radio. Regardless of

whether you write print, television, or radio stories,

any journalistic writing should be accurate, brief,

andclear.

Facts must be accurate; names must be spelled

correctly, identifications made properly, andfigures

quoted carefully. Never assume you have someones

name spelled correctly. Always ask the person how to

spell his or her name. For example, a person by the

name of Jodi could spell it Jody or Jodie, and

that name could be for a man or a woman. In addition,

you add strength to accuracy by getting information

from more than one source if possible. Two-source

stories are always stronger and more accurate because

you are not relying on just one persons thoughts.

Accuracy is the reporters greatest obligation to the

reader. Being accurate also helps you maintain your

credibility as a journalistic writer.

Journalistic writing also should be brief. Cut out

unnecessary words. Find short words or phrases that

mean the same thing as longer words or phrases.For example, use whisper instead of talk softly.

Overall, sentences should be 25 words or less.

Paragraphs should be kept to three or fewer sentences.

News stories also should get to the point quickly.

What is the story about? What does the story need to

tell the reader? A writer needs to be able to answer

these questions in the simplest terms possible.

Finally, if the reader is to understand what is in the

news article, the information must be clear. Writesimply so you can communicate ideas without

confusion. The reader should easily understand any

information in an article. For example, eliminate all

kinds ofjargon, or technical language, and do not use

big words to try to impress readers.

News Writing for Print StoriesA good print news story will contain the following

components, described in this section: inverted

pyramid structure, five Ws and H, leads, impersonal

reporting, news writing techniques, quotationsand attribution, Associated Press Style, and proper

grammar and punctuation.

Inverted Pyramid

The inverted pyramid is the structure most

commonly used for news writing. The inverted

pyramid presents the most important information

in a news story first, followed in descending order

by less-important information. This structure works

well for two reasons. First, the most important

information, which is presentedfirst, helps to grab

the readers attention and interest, so the reader is

more likely to read the entire article. Second, a story

written in the inverted pyramid structure means the

least important information is at the very end of the

structure. Therefore, if the story needs to be cut, it can

be cut from the bottom without any loss of important

information. If you put important information at the at

the end, it may get cut.


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The inverted pyramid structure is based on the five

Ws and H and good leads, which are explained next.

The lead, orfirst paragraph, is a simple statement

that provides focus to the news story. A lead should

be written as simply as possible and should containas many of the five Ws and H as can be understood

easily. The body of the inverted pyramid story adds

detail to the information that has been introduced in

the lead. The body should provide more information,

supporting evidence and context in the form of

direct and indirect quotes, more details, and other

descriptions.

Stories in the inverted pyramid structure avoid

falling into the trap of chronologically storytelling

what happened at an event (this happened, then thishappened, then this happened). For example, what

happens at the beginning of a meeting or event is

rarely the most important or interesting thing that

occurred.

Five Ws and H

The five Ws and H are the key components of any

news stories. It stands forwho, what, when, where,

why, andhow. The five Ws and H also can be the

questions that a news story should answer, such as:

Who said or did something?

What was said or done? What happened?

When was it said or done? When did it happen?

Where was it said or done? Where did it happen?

Why was it said or done? Why did it happen?

How was it said or done? How did it happen?

How does this affect me?

To gain the readers attention you should begin the

lead with the most interesting or most important

element of the five Ws and H. Others are added later

in the story. The aspect used most often in the lead

is the what, or perhaps the who, if it is someone

important. What happened is usually what most

people want to read about first.

Leads

The lead paragraph orlead (pronounced LEED) is

the first paragraph in the news story. The lead grabs

the readers attention and answers the most important

of the five Ws and H.

The reporter must make a judgment on what to put in

a lead, based on the newsworthiness criteria described

earlier in this chapter. A good lead generally will

Inverted Pyramid Structure of News Writing

The inverted pyramid is the structure most commonly used for news writing. The inverted

pyramid presents the most important information in a news story first, followed in descendingorder by less-important information.

Lead: The key to the story. One to no more than two sentences. Includes the most important of the 5Ws and H.

Secondary information: Vital statistics and description.

Extend on 5 Ws and H.

Background information: Incidents leading up

to or following the event.

Additional

information


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contain at least three of the five Ws and H. However,

one mistake writers sometimes make is trying to put

too much in a lead. The lead should be brief, no more

than 25 words. Following are some types of leads that

you might include in your stories:

The summary lead is the most common news-style

lead seen in newspapers. The summary lead provides

the most important of the five Ws and H elements.It gets the basic information up front. If you include

a who in your lead, you do not have to use the

persons name. You can identify someone by the

persons title or job position and then include the

persons name later in the story. The example below

shows how you can identify someone without using

the persons name. Later in the story, their names

would have been included. Unless the who in your

story is someone important or well known, rarely

will you want to list the persons name in the leadparagraph.

Example: Five Anyville High School students

and one teacher were injured Sunday night

when their van slid out of control on icy roads

in eastern Kentucky.

This summary lead contains who (five Anyville High

School students and one teacher), what (were injured

when their van slid out of control), when (Sunday

night), where (eastern Kentucky), and how (icyroads), and it is 25 words.

The question lead asks a question to grab the readers

attention. The question lead is seldom used because

if the reader does not care about the answer to the

question, then the person probably will stop reading.

Example: Will the student vote affect local

elections? Not if students are not registered to

cast their ballots.

A quotation lead is a direct quotation used in the

first paragraph. Unless the quotation is something

memorable or unusual, the quotation lead should

be avoided, because it is considered that the storys

writer has given up on being creative and just inserted

a quotation to jump-start a story. The following

example shows how a quotation lead can work,

because the quotation is out of the ordinary.

Example: My plane is taking off without

me, shouted a student pilot to his instructor as

he dashed down the runway after the Cessna

140.

A speaker-spoke lead should be avoided at all costs.

This type of lead identifies that someone spoke or

will speak at an event. Unless the person is someone

important, this type of lead should be avoided. Peoplespeak all the time. What is news is what the person

says, not that the person spoke. The speaker-spoke

lead example below provides very little information

of interest to the reader.

Example: Judge Billy Roster will speak

tomorrow in Gainesville at 8 a.m.

What would be more interesting is what Roster plans

to talk about, so use a summary lead of the mainpoints:

Example summary lead: Judge Billy Roster

will deliver a major address on capital

punishment at 8 a.m. tomorrow in Gainesville

before the local American Bar Association

chapter.

A first-person lead puts the writer in the story. First-

person leads are sometimes acceptable to magazine

editors, but rarely for newspaper editors. It breaks therule of the impersonal reporter, explained next.

Example: Minor earthquakes are common

in Mexico, and it wasnt surprising to feel

the building slowly swaying as I sipped my

first cup of coffee Thursday morning. A few

seconds and it should stop.

It didnt.

Impersonal Reporter

Another aspect of journalistic writing is the

impersonal reporter. Reporters should be invisible

in their writing. They should avoid using first-person

pronouns (I, me, we, our, my, us) or second-person

pronouns (you, your) outside of a sources direct

quote.

Reporters also should set aside their own views and

opinions. Allowing the writers opinions, prejudices,

and biases to enter a story is callededitorializing.

News reporters should report only what they see and


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hear. How a reporter feels about that information is

not relevant to the news story.

To avoid editorializing, a writer should present only

facts and limit or eliminate most adjectives, except in

direct quotes. For example, instead of writing, He

was sad, describe what the person did that makes you

think he was sad. So instead of writing, He was sad,

you could write, He placed his head in his hands andwept. Present what you see and hear; let the reader

make the connection that the person was sad. How do

you know something is interesting, impressive,

tragic, or avoidable? That is your opinion. Just

present the facts. Leave the value judgment to your

readers.

Editorializing can be avoided by attributing any

information that is not a fact or is not common

knowledge. Any statement in a story that contains

opinion must be attributed to someone. Here is an

overall good rule to follow to avoid editorializing:If the information in a news story is common

knowledge to everyone and is factual, it

does not have to be attributed. For example,

Model News StoryA news story lead should include the most important elements of the five Ws and H (who, what, when, where,

why and how) and be no more than 25 words.

The second paragraph provides some details related to the lead and may include other parts of the five Ws and H

not included in the lead.

News stories should be double-spaced and written according to Associated Press Style.

Paragraphs should be no more than three sentences long. They are usually one or two sentences long. Sentences

are usually no longer than 25 words each.

Direct quotations are usually set apart in their own paragraphs, said Ricky Telg, a professor at the University of

Florida. Any comment that is not common knowledge and factual should be attributed.

Writers should not include any opinion in their news stories that is not attributed, he said.

Telg said quotations should not be strung together, one after the other.

If you string quotes together, youre not really writing, he said. You should paraphrase what people say,

whenever possible, to make what they say more understandable to your audience. However, this does not mean for you to

misinterpret what they say.

The news story should be written in the inverted pyramid structure, so that the least important information is at the

end of the story.

If a news story runs more than one page, insert more at the bottom of the page. At the top of the second

page, flush left, write Add 1.

On the last page, use the following notation, centered, on the page, to signify the end of the story: 30 or

###.###

A good print news story, such as this model news story, will be wrien in the inverted pyramid structure, according to Associated

Press Style. The news story will contain the most important of the five Ws and H in the lead, good quotatons and aributon, and

proper grammar and punctuaton.


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This example from the Scientfic Thinking and Educatonal Partnership program shows a more informatonal approach to a news story

The contact informaton is at the boom of the page.


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the statement The sky is blue, is common

knowledge and is factual. It does not have

to be attributed. If the information is not

common knowledge, may not be true, or is

entirely opinion, it must be attributed. If not

everyone knows something to be true, your

responsibility is to attribute that information to

a source.

Never end a story with Everyone had a good time,

or something similar. Writers fall into this trap when

they feel they have to wrap up the story. You do

not have to wrap up the story. That is one of the

functions of the inverted pyramid structure. When

there is nothing else to write, just stop. You will avoid

editorializing at the end of your story.

Print News Writing Techniques

Short sentences: Sentences in news stories average20 to 25 words or so. Do not string together, with

commas and conjunctions, several sentences into one

long sentence. The best way to shorten sentences is to

use periods, not commas and conjunctions.

Short paragraphs: For news stories, paragraphs

should be no more than three sentences long. Usually,

paragraphs are one or two sentences long. This is

much different than the writing you have been used to

for your composition and English classes.

Third person: A news story should be written

completely in third person (he, she, it, and they),

except when you use a direct quotation.

Nouns and verbs: Place emphasis more on nouns

and verbs than on adjectives and adverbs. Overusing

adjectives and adverbs will cause you to editorialize.

Action verbs keep a story moving and grab the reader

more than to be verbs (be, is, are, am, was, were),

which show little action. Use action verbs to describe

what you observe.

Format: If the news story is longer than one page,

write more at the bottom of the page. Indicate the

end of the news story by either writing a hyphen, the

number 30, and another hyphen (-30-) or three pound

signs (###) at the center of the page below the final

line of story. The -30- or ### isjournalese for end of

story.

Simple writing: Use simple words and simple

sentences. Not every sentence should be in the simple

sentence format (subject-verb-object), but the simple

sentence is a good tool for clearing up muddy writing.

Jargon and clichs: Avoid jargon and clichs. Jargon

is technical language used in specializedfields or

in a small group. Clichs are overused words and

phrases, such as cost an arm and a leg, a drop inthe bucket, and on the cutting edge.

Transitions: Transitions tie together what you have

written. Each sentence in a story should logically

follow the previous sentence or should relate to it

in some way. New information in a story should

be connected to information already introduced.

Transitions include the following:

Connectors help unify the writing. For the most

part, they are conjunctions such as and, but,or, for, thus, however, therefore,

meanwhile, and others. They do not have great

value in terms of the content of the writing, but

they are necessary for its flow.

Hooks are words or phrases that are repeated

throughout an article to give the reader a sense

of unity. For example, in a story about the city

council, the word council used throughout the

story would be a hook.

Pronouns are one of the best transitional devices

for writing about people. Instead of using apersons name each time, use a pronoun about

every other time the person is mentioned in the

story.

Quotations and Attribution

Quotations are the words of someone talking. It is

a good idea to use quotations to bring life to your

story. Quotations can be either direct or indirect.

A direct quotation is the exact words of a person

talking (or quoted) in a news story. An indirect

quotation, also called a paraphrase, may have one

or a few of the same words that a speaker used, but

it will also have words that the speaker did not use.

The exact words in a direct quotation or in an indirect

quote will be inside quotation marks. Paraphrases

express what the source said but with different words

from those the source used.

A good news story will use more paraphrases than

direct quotations. Direct quotations do add life to


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a story, but they should be used sparingly. Use them

to supplement a story. Do not string together long

sections of direct quotes.

Attribution means telling readers where the

information in a story comes from. Attribution is

extremely important in news writing. It is one way

writers can avoid editorializing in their story, by

making sure that information in their stories canbe attributed to someone or some organization.

Writers should attribute anything that is not common

knowledge to all readers. Attributing information

sources also allows the reader to assess the credibility

of the information by assessing the source of the

information. Some sources are more credible than

others. Here are some examples of attribution:

Indirect quote/paraphrase: Myers said the

incident was under investigation.

Indirect quote (with some of the words asthe exact words of the speaker): Myers said

the incident was being investigated, but

that it would be a long time before the

investigation was completed.

Direct quote: The incident is under

investigation, Myers said.

Direct quote: The incident is under

investigation, Myers said, but it will be a long

time before the investigation is completed.

Following are some guidelines to follow whenattributing information and including quotations in

news stories:

Use the persons first name and last name,

when identifying a person by name for the

first time in the story. This is also called first

reference. Afterward, use only the persons last

name. Some newspapers also use courtesy titles

Dr., Mr., Ms., and Mrs. before the last name

(Ms. Becker, Mr. Mallory). You do not have

to include the persons last name each time you

reference the person; you can use a pronoun (he,

she) every second or third time, instead of the

persons name.

Use quotation marks around a word or group

of words when someone has spoken or written

those exact words.

Every quotation (direct or indirect) must have

attribution.

Each direct quotation should be its own

paragraph. This may mean that the paragraph

with a direct quotation is only one sentence.

Use said for attribution. Many people try to

look through a thesaurus for a different word to

use. Said is a neutral word. Use it.

Associated Press Style

The Associated Press is an international organization

of professional journalists. The organization has

a writing style for news stories. You must followAssociated Press Style if you are going to write news

stories professionally or to provide news releases

about your events to news media. Every journalist and

public relations professional must understand and use

Associated Press (AP) Style.

It is recommended that you purchase anAssociated

Press Stylebookat least every two to three years to

see if any additions to the Stylebookhave been made

or if any entries have changed. For example, the 2006Associated Press Stylebooklisted (123) 555-5678

as the correct way to include telephone numbers

in a news story. The telephone number entry was

changed in the 2007 Associated Press Stylebookto

123-555-5678. In addition, you should review the

Stylebooks section on edit marks.

A list of some of the most commonly used entries

from theAssociated Press Stylebookis provided in

this chapter. You may never need to know certain

Associated Press Stylebooklistings, such as ifnearsighted is one word, two words, or hyphenated.

(It is one word, by the way.). However, you will need

to know how to correctly write an address and to use

numbers and measurements, among other things. The

list in this chapter is not meant to be a complete list of

everything you should know, but it should keep you

from having to memorize everything in the Stylebook.

Here are some specific Associated Press Style issues:

Numbers

In general, spell out whole numbers nine and

below. (The nine boys)

Use figures for 10 and above. (The 25 boys)

Million and billion are used with round

numbers. (2.3 million. 250 billion)

Thousands are numbers. (186,540)

Ages are always numbers. (The 2-year-old girl.

John is 21 years old.)

Measurements and dimensions are always

numbers. (25 percent. 3 yards. He is 5 feet tall.)


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Associated Press Style Entries to Know

The following are some of the Associated Press Style entries that you should know well to be successful writing news stories andnews releases. This list is not meant to be a complete list of everything you should know, but it should keep you from having tomemorize everything in theAssociated Press Stylebook.

FFace to faceFarther/furtherFloridaFood

Foot-and-mouth diseaseFractionsFTPFundraising

GGeographic namesGirlGovernmental bodiesGovernor

HHands-off/hands offHand to hand, etc.Highway destinationsHistorical periods and eventsHolidays and holy days

Hurricane

IIncorporatedInitialsInternetIts/its

JJargonJudge

KKids

LLegislative titles

Legislature-ly

MManagerMaster of Arts/ScienceMiddle initialsMillions/billionsMonthsMusic

NNamesNational FFA OrganizationNo.Numerals

OOral/verbal/writtenOrganizations/institutions

PPart time/part-timePeople/personsPercentPh.D.Pluralsp.m./a.m.PossessivesPresidentPrincipal/principlePunctuation (see punctuation chapter)Pupil/student

QQuotations in the news

RReference works

SSecond-rateSecond referenceSentencesService markSouthSpellingState names

TTeenTelephone numbersTelevision program titlesTemperaturesThat (conjunction)That/which

Time elementTime of dayTimesTitlesToday/tonightTomorrowTonightTrademarkT-shirtTV

UUnited StatesURL

VVerbs

VersusVice-Vice President

WWeb siteWho/whomWide--wideWorld Wide Web

XYZYesterdayYouthZIP code

AA/anAbbreviations and acronymsAcademic degreesAcademic departments

Academic titlesAddressesAdjectivesAdverbsAdviserAffect/effectAgesAll rightAlumnus/alumni/alumna/alumnaea.m./p.m.Among/betweenAnimalsAnnualAnti-AppositionArabic numerals

BBachelor of Arts/ScienceBecause/sinceBoyBrand names

CCapitalizationChildrenCitizen/resident/subject/national/nativeCity councilCollective nounsCommitteeCompany/companiesComplement/complimentComposition titlesContractions

CorporationCountyCourtesy titles

DDangling modifiersDatelinesDatesDays of the weekDay to day/day-to-dayDecadesDecimal unitsDefinitelyDepartment of AgricultureDimensionsDirections and regionsDoctor

Dollars

EE-mailEssential clauses/nonessential clausesEssential phrases/nonessential phrasesEvery day/everydayExcept/accept


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Years are always numbers. (He was born in 1995.)

However, spell out any number except for a

year that begins a sentence. (Four-year-old Tom.

2007 was a good year.)

Abbreviations

Titles: Some titles are abbreviated, but only in

front of someones name. The abbreviated titles

are Dr., Mr., Mrs., Rev. (reverend),Sen. (senator), Rep. (representative), Gov.

(governor), Lt. Gov. (lieutenant governor), and

military ranks.

Street addresses: The words street, avenue,

and boulevard are spelled out unless they are

part of a full street address. Road, alley, circle and

drive are never abbreviated.

He lives on Main Street. He lives at 1245o

Main St.

She lives on Loblolly Avenue. She lives ato

405 Loblolly Ave.

They live on Citrus Boulevard. They liveo

at 80 Citrus Blvd.

The box was delivered to Boone Road.o

The box was delivered to 890 Boone Road

Months and dates: Months are spelled out unless

they come before a date.

She moved last February.o

She moved in February 2007.o

She moved on Feb. 6, 2007.o

Organizations: Spell out names of organizations(colleges, groups, clubs) on first reference.

Abbreviate the names, if necessary, on second

reference.

First reference: College of Agricultureo

Student Council.

Second reference: CASCo

Grammar and Punctuation

Any news story must be well-written. The story

should be as free of grammar and punctuationerrors as possible. Grammar is a system of rules

that defines the use of the language. Most of the

Agricultural Communication OrganizationsIf you are interested in learning more about the agricultural communication profession, contact any of these organizations. They

are always willing to assist young people learn about agricultural communications.

Association for Communication Excellence, communication professionals working in universities, government agencies, and

research organizations in the public and private sectors: aceweb.org

Agricultural Relations Council, professionals specializing in public relations and public affairs serving the agricultural and

food andfiber industries: agrelationscouncil.org

American Agricultural Editors Association, agricultural editors, writers and photojournalists: ageditors.com

American Horse Publications, communication professionals in the equine publishing industry: americanhorsepubs.org

Cooperative Communicators Association, communication professionals employed in cooperatives: communicators.coop/

CCA/

Livestock Publications Council, communication professionals in the livestock publishing industry: livestockpublications.com

National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, college student organization of students learning about the agricultural

communication profession: gonact.org

National Association of Farm Broadcasters, communication professionals at farm broadcast stations and networks and the

agri-marketing community of companies and agencies: nafb.com

North American Agricultural Journalists, journalists in North America who report or edit agricultural news for newspapers,

magazines, and syndicated services, and are independent of agricultural organizations and businesses: naaj.net

National Agri-Marketing Association, communication and marketing professionals in agricultural marketing: nama.org

Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, communication professionals involved in green industry communications:

toca.org


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verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs. In noun/

pronoun agreement, a singular noun takes a singular

pronoun, and a plural noun takes a plural pronoun.

False subjects: Most sentences beginning with there

is, there are, there was, there were, there

will be, it is or it was can be rewritten and made

stronger.

False subject: There is a class in my schoolthat teaches writing.

Better: A class in my school teaches writing.

Parallelism: Do not mix elements in a phrase or

series.

Mixed phrases: He enjoys books, movies, and

driving his dune buggy.

Correct: He enjoys reading books, going to

movies, and driving his dune buggy.

Correct:

He enjoys books, movies, and hisdune buggy.

Mixed tenses: He walked the dog and works

with the horses.

Correct: He walked the dog and worked with

the horses.

Dead wood: Eliminate any words that would only add

dead wood to your sentence.

Dead wood: It is really necessary to return

the library book very soon. (How much morenecessary is really necessary? How soon is

very soon?)

Correct: It is necessary to return the library

book soon.

Gender-neutral language: Use gender-neutral

language in all of your writing. Primarily, this avoids

using man for people. Avoid job titles that refer

to gender, such as policeman, fireman, and

postman. Instead, use police officer, fire fighter,

and postal carrier. Use plural pronouns to get

around having to use his/her in sentences.

Awkward : A reporter should edit his/her

article.

Better : Reporters should edit their articles.

Prepositional phrases: If you see several

prepositional phrases in a series, try to rewrite the

sentence. Prepositional phrases are not bad, but they

do add unnecessary words.

grammar and punctuation rules you have learned in

school will be the same as Associated Press Style,

but there are some differences. Because you will be

using Associated Press Style for journalistic writing,

you should refer to theAssociated Press Stylebooks

section on punctuation for assistance. Following are

some common grammatical and punctuation issues for

journalists:

Grammar

A sentence fragment is a group of words that does

not express a complete thought. It may lack a subject,

predicate, or a complete thought. Every sentence in a

news story should be a complete sentence.

Fragment : Finding a dependable and

inexpensive car to use.

Complete : Finding a dependable and

inexpensive car to use is becoming more and

more diffi

cult.

A run-on sentence is really two sentences joined

without proper punctuation. Run-on sentences are

corrected in these three ways:

1. Change the sentence into two sentences.

2. If there is a close relationship between the two

sentences, insert a semicolon.

3. Connect the two sentences with a comma and a

coordinating conjunction (and, but, or).

Run-on: The turnpike is a better road it has

less traffic.Correct : The turnpike is a better road. It has

less traffic. (Change to two sentences.)

Correct : The turnpike is a better road; it has

less traffic. (Insert a semicolon.)

Correct : The turnpike is a better road, and

it has less traffic. (Insert a comma and

conjunction.)

Comma splices occur when a sentence uses a comma

instead of a period. Like a run-on sentence, you can

correct comma splices by using a period, adding a

conjunction after the comma, or inserting a semicolon

in place of the comma.

Comma splice : The rain ruined our vacation,

we couldnt go to the beach.

Correct: The rain ruined our vacation. We

couldnt go to the beach.

Agreement refers to singular and plural references. In

subject/verb agreement, single subjects take single


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Awkward : The FFA meeting was led by the

president of the chapter in the classroom.

Better: The FFA chapters president led the

meeting in the classroom.

Dangling modifiers: Be sure the modifier modifies

the right noun.

Dangling modifier: Walking through the rows,

the corn nearly filled the rows. (Sounds likethe corn was walking through the rows.)

Correct: Walking through the rows, I noticed

the corn nearly filled the rows.

Active and passive voice refers to the way in which

verbs are used. The emphasis is on the subject as

the doer of the action if a verb is in the active voice.

Passive voice throws the action onto the object.

Generally, writers should try to use the active voice.

Active

: She passed the potatoes around thetable.

Passive : The potatoes were passed around the

table. (by her)

Punctuation

Commas (,): Use commas to separate items in a

series. However, unlike traditional punctuation

rules that you have learned, in Associated Press

Style writing, you do not include a comma before

the conjunction. This is probably one of the biggest

differences between journalistic writing and thewriting style you have used in composition classes.

Incorrect (according to AP Style): The

American flag is red, white, and blue.

Correct (according to AP Style): The American

flag is red, white and blue.

Clauses introduced by when, if, because,

and although require a comma when they begin a

sentence or are elsewhere in the sentence.

Correct: Although the test was repeated, the

results were never the same.

Correct: We could not duplicate these results,

although we tried many times.

Set off an appositive a word or phrase that follows

another word to explain or identify it. Be sure you

place a comma AFTER the appositive.

Appositive : George Washington, a Virginia

planter, was the first president of the United

States of America.

Do not use a comma to precede a partial quotation.

Incorrect : The mayoral candidate charged that

the man was, a swindler of the lowest order.

Correct : The mayoral candidate charged that

the man was a swindler of the lowest order.

Use a comma to precede a complete quotation.

Correct : The defense attorney asked, Howwould you like to be sent to prison?

Semicolon (;): Use a semicolon to join independent

clauses not connected by a coordinating conjunction.

DeGraw launched her desperation shot; the

ball went through the hoop as the buzzer

sounded.

Use a semicolon with a conjunctive adverb (however,

therefore, nevertheless).The first test results were unsatisfactory;

however, a simple modification of the

questionnaire solved the problem.

A semicolon separates items in a series that contain

commas.

Incorrect : We traveled to four of the worlds

most significant cities: Paris, France, London,

England, Rome, Italy and Vienna, Austria.

Correct : We traveled to four of the worlds

most significant cities: Paris, France; London,England; Rome, Italy; and Vienna, Austria.

Colons (:) are used to separate parts of a sentence.

List or series

The dealer had three cars: a BMW, a Cadillac

and a Mustang. (Notice that the comma before

and is not included. This is correct according

to AP Style.)

Do not use a colon to separate a verb and its

complement.

Incorrect : A scientist requires: intelligence and

diligence.

Correct : A scientist requires two attributes:

intelligence and diligence.

Correct : A scientist requires intelligence and

diligence.

Do not capitalize the first word that follows a colon,

unless the word is a proper noun.


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Incorrect: She has three hobbies: Gardening,

sewing and reading. (Notice that the comma

before and is not included. This is correct

according to AP Style.)

Correct : She has three hobbies: gardening,

sewing and reading.

Quotation marks ()

Commas, question marks, and periods go insidequotation marks in a quotation.

He said, The test was hard.

I thought so too, she said.

Was the test hard? she asked.

Use a set of double quotation marks first, then

single marks within a quotation, for such items as

composition titles.

He said, I saw the movie Transformers

yesterday.

Direct quotation format: Use the following

sentences as examples of how to punctuate direct

quotations.

The dog ran past the man, he said.

The dog ran past the man, he said, but it

was stopped by the dogcatcher.

The principal said, Pasco Independent School

District is the best school district in the state.

Apostrophes ()According to Associated Press Style,

apostrophes can be used to indicate where numerals

are left out:

The class of 07.

However, do not use an apostrophe for decades.

Correct: 1990s

Incorrect : 1990s

Hyphens are usually used to join words to form

adjectives.

A 7-year-old boy. An off-the-cuff remark. A

little-known man. A 3-inch bug.

Hyphens are not used with adverbs ending in -ly.

Incorrect: a gravely-ill student

Correct: a gravely ill student

Feature WritingThe feature story is more relaxed in style than a

traditional news story. A feature story is set apart from

a news story because of the greater amount of detail

and description it contains. The structure of a news

story, as has already been explained, is to provide a

basic set of facts to the reader as quickly as possible.

A feature writer enhances those facts with details and

description so that the reader will be able to see a

more complete picture of an event or a person.

A feature story can be on just about anything: a

person, a group, animals, places, events, objects, or

holidays. Regardless of the topic, however, a feature

story must be interesting and well written, and it must

draw on human interest. In other words, the feature

must touch the reader on a personal level.

A feature story contains many of the same

components as a news story: a good lead, short

sentences, brief paragraphs, action verbs, gooddescription, and relevant quotations.

Features can be categorized in the following ways:

A news feature is written around a timely event.

A news feature could be written about the local

fair.

An informative feature zeroes in on the little

known, the odd, or unusual. An informative

feature could be on how your school mascot was

selected.

An historical feature focuses on something of

historical relevance to the audience. Historicalfeatures are commonly seen around the holidays

(the first Thanksgiving, the origin of Christmas

trees, the origin of Memorial Day).

A personal experience feature recounts the

accomplishments of an individual or group,

usually as an example of a much larger group.

(Example: a feature story on a child with muscular

dystrophy, especially around the time of the Jerry

Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon

on Labor Day weekend)

A descriptive profile centers on places people can

visit or events they can take part in. This type of

feature is seen regularly in newspapers travel

sections.

A how-to-do-it yourselffeature explains how to

build something or how to do something. Some

newspapers have features on how to garden.

Another example of this type of feature is a story

on how to select healthy foods.

The profile may be the most common feature. The


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profile tells about a person. A profile examines

only one or two aspects of a person; it does not tell

a persons entire life story. A profile is enhanced

through the use of anecdotes (stories told by the

person being profiled).

Feature stories usually follow this structure:

Lead: As with a news story, the lead in a feature

story draws the reader in. With a feature, though,

the lead may be more than just one sentence.

However, do not take too long to get to the point

in the story.

Engine paragraph: This paragraph is usually the

second or third paragraph of the story and sets

the stage for the rest of the feature. The engine

paragraph puts the story in some context for the

reader and lets the reader know why the rest of

the story should be read. This is sometimes called

the why paragraph.

Body : This section takes up most of the story. It

expands and details the information introduced

in the lead. The body provides the reader

with documented facts and details and careful

observations made by the writer.

Model Feature Story

A feature story is set apart from a news story because of the greater amount of detail and description it

contains.

A feature story can be on just about anything: a person, a group, animals, places, events, objects, or holidays. The

feature must be interesting and well written, and it must must touch the reader on a personal level.The lead draws the reader in to the story. The second or third paragraph is called the engine paragraph and sets

the stage for the rest of the feature.

The body is the section that takes up most of the story. The body provides the reader with documented facts and

details and careful observations made by the storys writer.

A good feature will be brightened with good quotations throughout, said Ricky Telg, a professor at the

University of Florida. During the interview, the reporter should try to identify several good quotes that can be used in the

story.

A feature story contains many of the same components as a news story: a good lead, short sentences, brief

paragraphs, action verbs, good description, and relevant quotations.

Unlike a news story that is supposed to stop when the least-important information is presented in the inverted

pyramid structure, a feature story may need an ending to wrap up.

The ending, though, should not go too long. As with the news story, stop writing when nothing else is left to say.

If a feature story runs more than one page, insert more at the bottom of the page. At the top of the second

page, flush left, write Add 1.

On the last page, use the following notation, centered, on the page, to signify the end of the story: 30 or

###.

###

A feature story can be on just about anything: a person, a group, animals, places, events, objects, or holidays. A feature story must be

interestng and well wrien, and it must touch the reader on a personal level. This model feature story shows how a feature should

be wrien.


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Ending/conclusion : Unlike a news story that

is supposed to stop when the least-important

information is presented in the inverted pyramid

structure, a feature story may need an ending to

wrap up. The ending, though, should not go too

long. As with the news story, stop writing when

nothing else is left to say. Sometimes, but not

always, a feature writer will end with one of these

closures:Circle technique:o The featurestory

begins and ends with approximately the

same idea, phrase, question, statement, or

description.

Surprise:o With this closure, the writer

provides a different ending than what the

reader expects.

Summary ending:o This ending concludes

with an overall summary of the topic.

When writing the feature, keep these writing

guidelines in mind:

Describe the topic in specific and concrete

words. As with a news story, do not rely on

adjectives and adverbs. Describe with nouns and

verbs.

Brighten your feature with quotes, but do not

go overboard. Paraphrase throughout. A good

rule is to have one direct quotation for every three

or four paragraphs.

Avoid mind reading. Do you really know that the

teacher feels a certain way about a topic? Stick

to what you observe and what people say.

News Writing for Television and Radio

StoriesDoing a television or radio story is more than hitting

record on a video camera or audio recorder. You

have to learn the process of writing an effective

television and radio news story first. The term

broadcast writing will be used interchangeably for

television and radio news writing throughout this

section of the chapter.

Writing for radio and television is different from

writing for print for the following reasons. First, you

have less space and time to present news information.

Therefore, you must prioritize and summarize the

information carefully. Second, your listeners cannot

reread sentences they did not understand the first timeAs a result, you have to keep your writing simple and

clear. And third, you are writing for the ear. In print

news stories, you are writing for the eye; the story

must read well to your eye. The television or radio

news story also has to sound good; it has to read well

to the ear. Also for a radio news story, listeners can

not see video of what you are saying, so you must

paint word pictures with the words you use in your

radio news story so people can see images just

through your verbal descriptions.

Example Radio Story

This example shows the narrator portions and the actualities (or soundbites) of a typical radio news story.

Watching a rattlesnake on television is the closest most of us ever want to get to one. But some do like to get

a little closer to rattlers. And Sweetwater Jaycee Wayne Wilson says one big reason is the money rattlesnake

products bring.

Actuality: Wayne Wilson, Sweetwater Jaycee (15 seconds)

Every bit of the snakeand to make anti-venom.

Over the weekend, the 23rdAnnual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup attracted thousands, wanting to see the venomous vipers.

Vendors use the rattlesnake skins and other body parts for earrings, key chains, walking canes, hairpieces and paperweights.

Jaycee John Thomas also says there are those who like their rattlers well.well-done.

Actuality: John Thomas, Sweetwater Jaycee (9 seconds)

It has a tastetexture offish.

Thomas says its difficult to put a dollar value on the rattlesnake product industry because few vendors deal strictly in rattlesnakes.

Still, when rattlesnakes bring eight to 10 dollars a pound, as they have in the past, theyre a big attraction for someone wanting to

make a fast buck. From Sweetwater, this is Ricky Telg reporting.


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As with any type of news writing, you should try to

identify characteristics of your audience so you know

what type of information your audience wants. Use

the criteria of newsworthiness presented earlier in

this chapter to help you determine if your television

or radio news story idea has news value. Television

and radio news stories must read well for the eye

and sound good to the ear. To do that, television and

radio news stories must have these attributes:

The writing style should be conversational.

Write the way you talk.Each sentence should be brief and contain only

one idea. We do not always talk in long sentences.

Shorter sentences are better in broadcast news

writing. Each sentence should focus on one

particular idea.

Be simple and direct. If you give your audience

too much information, your audience can not take

it in. Choose words that are familiar to everyone.

Read the story out loud. The most important

attribute for writing for the ear is to read

the story aloud. This will give you a feeling

for timing, transitions, information flow, and

conversation style. Your audience will hear your

television or radio news story, not read it, so the

story has to be appealing to the ear.

In the remainder of this section, specific guidelines are

presented to help you write news stories for television

and radio.

Television and Radio News Writing Structure

Be brief. A good newspaper story ranges from

hundreds to thousands of words. The same story

on television or radio may have to fit into 30

seconds perhaps no more than 100 words. If

it is an important story, it may be 90 seconds

or two minutes. You have to condense a lot of

information into the most important points for

broadcast writing.

Example Television StoryThis example shows how a news story would be written for use on television.

Suggested Studio Introduction (to be read by the news anchorperson)

Rattlesnake products

Theyre cold-blooded and dangerous, but theyre also big business. Theyre rattlesnakes, and as Ricky Telg reports,

products made from this reptile range from the ordinary to the bizarre.

Outcue: ...Ricky Telg reporting.Total Time: 1:37

Video Audio

CU of rattlesnake w/ rattles.Medium of pit of rattlesnakes.

NARRATOR: Watching a rattlesnake on TV is the closest most of us everwant to get to one. But some do like the snake. And one big reason is themoney rattlesnake products bring.

On-screen text: Wayne WilsonSweetwater Jaycee

SOUNDBITE: Every bit of the snake is used. The skin is sold to makebelts...and the heads are sold. Of course we sell the venom for research andto make antivenom.

On-screen text: Mike BarkerSweetwater JayceeCU of Mike Barker milking venomfrom snakes fangs.

SOUNDBITE: We average a quarter of a cc of venom per snake, so wethink if we can get 1,500 cc, thats in the neighborhood of 6,000 snakes weneed.

Medium shots and CUs of various itemsmade from snake body parts.

NARRATOR: Vendors use the skins and other body parts for earrings,keychains, canes, hairpieces and some very interesting paperweights.

On-screen text: John ThomasSweetwater Jaycee

SOUNDBITE: Anything that the skin can be used for, the dealers havefound to make a product.

CU of Jaycee taking snake meat out offryer.

NARRATOR: Then there are those who like their rattlers well done.NAT SOUND: Frying sound (rattlesnake cooking)

Medium shot: John Thomas SOUNDBITE: It has a taste all of its own. But a lot of people like tocompare it to the taste of chicken, with maybe the texture offish.

Various shots of vendors selling itemsmade from rattlesnake parts and fromother animals (frogs).

CU: rattlesnake hissing

NARRATOR: Thomas says its difficult to put a dollar value on therattlesnake product industry because few vendors deal strictly inrattlesnakes. Most also sell other nongame animals, like frogs. Still, whensnakes bring eight to nine dollars a pound, as they have in the past, theyre a

big attraction for someone wanting to make a fast buck.From Sweetwater, this is Ricky Telg reporting.


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Use correct grammar. A broadcast

news script with grammatical errors

will embarrass the person reading it.

Put the important information

first. Writing a broadcast news story

is similar to writing a news story

for print in that you have to include

the important information first. The

only difference is that you have tocondense the information presented.

Write good leads. Begin the story

with clear, precise information.

Because broadcast stories have to fit

into 30, 60, or 90 seconds, broadcast

stories are sometimes little more than

the equivalent of newspaper headlines

and the lead paragraph.

Stick to short sentences of 20 words

or less. The announcer has to breathe.Long sentences make it difficult for

the person voicing the script to take a

breath.

Write the way people talk. Sentence fragments

as long as they make sense are acceptable.

Use contractions . Use dont, instead of do

not. But be careful of contractions ending in

-ve (wouldve, couldve), because they

sound like would of and could of.

Use simple subject-verb-object sentence

structures.Use the active voice and active verbs. Do not

say, There were forty people taken to the hospital

following a train derailment that occurred early

this morning. Instead, say, Forty people are in

the hospital as a result of an early morning train

accident. It is better to say, He hit the ball, than

The ball was hit by him.

Use present tense verbs, except when past tense

verbs are necessary. Present tense expresses

the sense of immediacy. Use past tense when

something happened long ago.

For radio news stories, write with visual

imagery. Make your listeners see what you are

saying. Help them visualize the situation you are

describing.

Television and Radio News Writing Techniques

Avoid writing direct quotations into a news

script, if at possible. Instead, let people say

things in their own words during soundbites. A

soundbite is the exact words spoken by someone

in their own voice. If you must use a direct quote,

set it off with such phrases as: In the words of...

As he put it... or try to paraphrase as much as

possible. Avoid saying quote and unquote.

Titles precede names. Examples: Mayor

Richard Smith, not Richard Smith, mayor.

Anyville High School student Beth Baker, not

Beth Baker, Anyville High School student.

Use a persons complete name (first and last

name) in the first reference, then the persons

last name thereafter.

Use phonetic spellings for unfamiliar words and

words that are hard to pronounce.

In age reference, precede the name with the

age. (Example: The victim, 21-year-old Rob

Roy)

Omit obscure names and places if they are not

meaningful to the story.

Attribution should come before a quotation,

not after it. In contrast to writing for print media,attribution of paraphrased quotations in broadcast

stories should be at the beginning of the sentence,

before the paraphrase. The listener should know

where the quotation is coming from before hearing

the quote. Example: Bill Brown said he would

run for re-election.

Avoid appositives. Do not write, Tom Smith,

mayor of Smallville, said today. Instead, write,

Smallville mayor Tom Smith said today.

Reporters for television and radio develop stories that are brief and

conversatonal.


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Avoid abbreviations, even on second reference,

unless it is a well-known abbreviation. This is

different than the Associated Press Style rules

for print stories. Write out days, months, states,

and military titles each time. About the only

acceptable abbreviations are Mr., Mrs., and

Dr. Punctuate, by using a hyphen in between,

commonly used abbreviations. For example, write

U-S, instead of US, and U-N for UN(United Nations).

Avoid symbols when you write. For example, the

dollar sign ($) should never be used in broadcast

writing. Always spell out the word dollar. This

is different from the Associated Press Style for

dollars, when used in a print news story.

Use correct punctuation. Do not use semicolons.

Use ellipses (double dash marks) for longer pauses

than commas. Use underlines for emphasis.

Use numbers correctly.

Spell out numeralsthrough 11. (This is different than Associated

Press Style for print stories, which spells out

one through nine, and starts using numerals for

10 and above.) Use numerals for 12 through

999. Use hyphenated combinations for numerals

and words above 999. (Examples: 33-thousand;

214-million.) Round off numbers unless the exact

number is significant. (Example: Use roughly 34

million dollars, not 34-million, 200-thousand,

22 dollars.) Use st, nd, th, and rd after

dates, addresses, and numbers above eleventh tobe read as ordinary numbers. (Examples: Second

Street, May 14th, Eleventh Avenue, 12th

Division) (This is different from AP Style for

print.)

Television and Radio News Story Format

Broadcast news stories are typed, double-

spaced, and in uppercase/lowercase. Many years

ago, television news scripts were written in all

uppercase, but that practice has changed in recent

years.

Make the sentence at the bottom of a page

a complete sentence. Do not split a sentence

between pages.

Never split words or hyphenated phrases from

one line to the next.

Do not use copyediting symbols. Cross out the

entire word and write the corrected word above

it. This is one reason why broadcast news scripts

are double-spaced, so you will have room to make

corrections in between the lines.

Television and Radio News Terms

It is good practice to understand the following terms

used in broadcast news writing.

Actuality: A term commonly used in radio for

the exact words spoken by someone in their

own voice. Actualities are usually 20 seconds or

less. In television news, an actuality is called asoundbite.

B-roll: Any non-narrated video footage shot

expressly to cover narration or an interview.

The audio from these shots is generally used as

background audio. B-roll video also is called

cover video. For example, in shooting a

television story on the timber industry, b-roll

would be shots of trees, trees being cut down,

trees being loaded onto trucks, and trees being

processed at a lumber yard. In editing the story,the b-roll would be used to cover the audio of

the narrated script.

Outcue: The last thing a reporter says, which

usually gives the reporters name and television.

Example: .For AEC News, Im Ricky Telg.

Package : a complete television news story.

A typical package will run 90 seconds to two

minutes in length.

Slug : The title of the script (at the top), the

running time (how long the news story is,

measured in minutes and seconds), and date thatthe story is to be aired or when it was written.

Soundbite: A recorded quotation. The exact

words spoken by someone in their own voice. A

soundbite is a bite of the actual longer interview

Soundbites are usually 20 seconds or less. In radio

news, a soundbite is also called an actuality.

Stand-up: The reporter narrates a portion of a

story on camera.

SOT (sound on tape) : Any time when any person

talking is shown speaking. An SOT is sometimes

called a soundbite.

VO: A VO (voice over) is just video that will

be shown, with a newscaster (also known as an

anchor) narrating the script. The newscaster,

then, is providing voice overthe video.

VO/SOT (voice over/sound on tape) : An anchor,

or other off-camera person, narrates a script

during the voice over (VO). The SOT (sound on

tape), which is run immediately after the VO,

shows someone talking.


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Narrating Television and Radio

News

Follow these recommendations when

you read aloud (also called narrate

or voice) television and radio news

scripts:

Position the microphone

properly. Position the microphonesix to 10 inches from your mouth

and at a 45-degree angle to the

direct line of speech. This will

help prevent blasting with

explosive letters P and B.

Always maintain the same

distance from the microphone as

you speak.

Remove noise-making

distractions. Remove all paperclips, pens, and other items that

would tempt you to play with as you read the

story. Any rustling of paper clips can be picked up

by the microphone. The microphone will pick up

the sounds caused when you click your pen.

Narrate the news story. After you hit the

record button on the video camera or audio

recorder, wait to 10 seconds before speaking. This

prevents you from accidentally losing some of the

narration if you hit record and start narrating

the script immediately. It is a good idea to usea standard reference opening, such as the day,

place, and subjects name. You may want to use

a countdown. Honeybee story, coming in three,

two, one, and then start the story. This also helps

your voice stabilize as you start. The standard

reference opening and countdown will be edited

out of the final story.

Articulate words correctly. Speak clearly. Do

not run your words together. Practice proper

articulation distinctly pronouncing words.

The following words are improperly articulated:

prob-ly for prob-ab-ly, git for get, and

jist for just. Also, do not drop the final g in

-ing words, such as cooking, running, and

hunting.

Think the thought. Think about what you are

going to say. If something has a positive idea, put

a smile in your voice by putting a smile on your

face. This helps to project the personality of the

story.

Think the thought through to the end. Keep

half an eye on the end of the sentence while you

are reading the first part. Know how the sentence

will come out before you start. This will help you

interpret the meaning of the phrases of the entire

idea.

Talk at a natural speed . But change the rate

occasionally to avoid sounding monotonous.

The speed that you talk is your speaking rate.

Vary the pitch and volume of your voice to get

variety, emphasis, and attention. Pitch is the high

and low sounds of your voice. You will sound

more assertive if you lower your pitch and inflect

downward.; however, avoid dropping your pitch

when it sounds unnatural to do so.

Breathe properly. Control your breathing to take

breaths between units of thought. Otherwise, you

will sound choppy. Sit up straight. This helps your

breathing.

Use your body . A relaxed body helps produce a

relaxed-sounding voice. Do a few exercises beforegoing on the air. A little activity reduces tension.

Listen to the final product . Listen to how it

sounds. Listen to what you did as if you were an

audience member.

Time the story. At the end, be sure you time the

story. If the story is going on the air of a radio or

television station, the storys timing is important,

and, in many cases, needs to be exact. Practice

writing and narrating news stories to determine

Positon the microphone six to 10 inches from your mouth and at a 45-degree angle

to the direct line of speech. Always maintain the same distance from the microphone

as you speak.


20/22

what your normal reading time is.

Practice your narration skills . Never give up

practicing speech and delivery techniques. Read

aloud something at least twice a week for practice.

Conducting Interviews for News StoriesIn order to write a good news story for print,

television, or radio, you have to conduct interviews

with the people who have the information you need.

An interview is the process of asking good questions

so you can get good answers for your news story.

But if you have never conducted an interview, the

idea of doing one may seem a little scary. If you

imagine that the interview is just a conversation with

the other person, doing the interview will be much

less frightening. Here are some tips to follow as you

conduct a news story interview.

Before The InterviewBe on time for the interview . Being prompt

makes a good impression on the person who is

being interviewed.

Set aside time to conduct the interview. Unless

the person being interviewed is on an extremely

tight schedule so that the interview can only take

a few minutes, try to schedule a little extra time so

that you and the person being interviewed do not

feel constrained for time.

Dress appropriately. Again, impressions make an

impact on the person being interviewed. Dress upa little. This may mean wearing a collared shirt or

nice blouse.

Prepare at least 10 questions in advance. These

questions should pertain directly to the topic you

need information about.

Think about what your audience needs to know

as you prepare the questions. What does your

audience want to know?

Understand the subject matter (at least a little

bit). The person being interviewed is the expert in

the topic. Otherwise, you would not have calledon the person for an interview. However, it is good

practice to do at least a little research on the topic

beforehand so that you can ask good questions.

During the Interview

If you plan to use a tape recorder or digital

audio recorder during the interview, first

obtain the interviewees permission to do so. If

you are doing a television interview, before you

arrive let the person being interviewed know that

you will have a video camera.

State the interviews purpose. What do you want

to cover in the interview?

Break the ice with light conversation. Make the

person being interviewed feel at-ease.

Let your subject do the talking . Do not break in

while someone is answering a question. It is rude.

Wait until the person has completed answering a

question before breaking in.

Get at least three good, insightful direct quotes .

This should be your goal in an interview.Get correct information. Ask the persons being

interviewed to provide the correct spelling of their

name and their job titles. Do not assume you know

what they are.

Collect more information than you think you

will need.

Do not be bashful about asking the person

to repeat something important. It is better to

have something repeated and get the information

correct, than to get it wrong.

Conductng an interview is the process of simply asking good

questons. This photo shows two college students conductng a

television interview with an agricultural researcher.


21/22

Be aware of your surroundings. A few notes

about the room and other surroundings may be

useful in a feature story to help set the mood of

your story.

Asking Questions

Never plunge in with the tough questions. Break

the ice by explaining who you are and what you

are doing.

Be pleasant but purposeful. You are there to

get information, so do not be timid about asking

questions.

Use the list of questions you prepared . Start

with the easier questions, and then move to more

in-depth questions.

Do not be afraid to leave your set of questions.

If a prepared question is no longer suitable, move

to the next question.

Some answers prompt additional questions.Ask them as they arise. Listen to what the person

is saying. One question should logically follow

another.

Be objective. Do not offer your opinions on

the subject. You are there to report, not to

editorialize.

Stay on track. If the interviewee strays too far

from the subject, ask a specific question to redirect

the conversation.

Avoid yes/no questions. These only provide

yes/no answers.

Start with questions focusing on the five Ws

and the H.

Get in the habit of asking more probing

questions, such as, What do you mean? and

Why is that?

Listen carefully to the answers andtake good

notes. As the person talks, ask yourself, What is

my lead going to be? Do I understand enough to

state a theme clearly and support it with quotes?

At the End of the Interview

As the interview comes to a close, take a few

minutes to skim your notes. If time allows, ask

the interviewee to clarify anything that you did not

understand.

Ask for permission to phone back later for

more information, if necessary.

Smile, thank the interviewee, and leave.

Fill in the blanks immediately. As soon as the

interview is over while it is fresh on your mind, go

back to your notes andfill in any blanks that you

were not able to write down during the interview.

Types of Questions

Following are some of the questions that you might

want to ask.

Close-ended questions provide short answers. The

answer to the example question below would provide

just a list of the positive courses.Closed-ended question: In which high

school course have you had the most positive

experiences?

Open-ended questions provide longer answers. The

answer to the example open-ended question below

would provide a much longer response.

Open-ended question: Whats your opinion of

Ms. Jones class?

Probe questions follow up on something the

interviewee has said.

Example:

Close-ended question: In which high school

course have you had the most positive

experiences?

Answer: Ms. Jones class.

Probe question: What positive experiences

have you had?

A mirror question repeats part of the personsanswer, prompting the person to explain an answer

further. A mirror question is often paired with a probe

question.

Probe question: Why do you think people are

saying positive things about Ms. Hightowers

class?

Answer: Because shes fair, has knowledge

about the subject, and seems to really care

about students.

Mirror question: You say shes fair, knows

the subject, and cares for students? Why is

being fair important to students?

The yes/no question is the most close-ended of close-

ended questions. The answer can only be one of two

ways: yes or no. A yes/no question is virtually useless

for most news and feature writers, because it provides

very little information. Use yes/n questions to set the

stage for other questions that would provide more in-

depth information.


22/22

Yes/no question: Do you think Mr. Smith is a

good teacher?

Leading questions are considered unethical by many

news writers. A leading question strongly suggests the

right answer to an interviewee. The question below

would make the interviewee feel that the correct

response was that Mr. Smith was a great teacher, even

if the interviewee did not feel that way.Leading question: Everyone Ive interviewed says Mr.

Smith is an outstanding teacher. Whats your opinion?

SummaryThis chapter presented the basics on how to write

news stories for print, radio, and television. For

all three, you must practice writing clearly and

understandably. For print, you also have to use

Associated Press Style. For broadcast writing, one of

the most important things to keep in mind is to writefor the ear and for the eye. By learning how to

write news stories, you can get the word out about

your organizations activities to a larger audience

in the form of newsletters and news releases. This

chapter also went over how to become an effective

reporter by asking good questions.

ReferencesAgricultural Communicators in Education (1996).

The Communicators Handbook, Third Edition.

Maupin House: Gainesville, FL.

Kris Boone (1999). The ABCs of Journalism and

More. Kansas State University: Manhattan, KS.

E.L. Callihan (1979). Grammar for Journalists,

Third Edition. Chilton Book Co.: Radnor, PA.

Claron Burnett & Mark Tucker (2001). Writing for

Agriculture: A New Approach Using Tested Ideas,

Second Edition. Kendall/Hunt: Dubuque, IA.

R.H. MacDonald (1987). A Broadcast News Manual

of Style. Longman: White Plains, NY.

Walter E. Oliu, Charles T. Brusaw, & Gerald J. Alred

(2007). Writing that Works: Communicating

Effectively on the Job, ninth edition, Bedford/St.

Martins: Boston, MA.

Media, Fourth Edition. Allyn & Bacon: Needham

Heights: MA.

Ricky Telg (2000). Writing News Releases

& PSAs. http://mediarelations.ifas.ufl.edu/

writingnewsreleasesandPSAs.htm. University of

Florida: Gainesville, FL.

Jan Johnson Yopp & Katherine C. McAdams (1996).Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing,

Second Edition. Allyn & Bacon: Needham Heights,

MA.

media writing chapter

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